God Among Insects tend to get to the punch early with each of these nine songs. Led by the howling, primal, and guttural vocals of Magus Emperor Caligula, the group rips into "Legions of Darkness" sounding like a mix of
GWAR,
Sum 41, and
Sepultura, combining hard rock with metal lines that wind around the chorus. "A Gush of Blood" is almost like a hardcore punk tune starting off, but goes into a darker and seedier sound thanks to guitarist Lord K. Philipson. "Headless Nun Whore" is a full-throttle attack of death metal that sounds like
Slipknot on high-speed dubbing. Both Philipson and bassist Tomas Elofsson are quite tight on this song, both sounding like buzzsaws humming throughout. If there was a radio-friendly metal number it might be the fist-pumping, devil-horn salute that seems to come from "Wretched Hatching," one of the record's strongest tracks. The highlight is without question the industrial-tinged "Purified in Carnage," which continues to soar from the start, resembling a cross between
Nine Inch Nails and any hard metal band worth its salt. The bridge is the key, as it mixes old styles and new to bring more intensity to the tune. Another surprise might be how well the murky "Severe Facial Reconstruction" comes off, changing gears as Caligula utters some of his deepest growls. ~ Jason MacNeil